


Red & Black

by Laerkstrein



Category: Final Fantasy X
Genre: Auron - Freeform, F/M, Lulu - Freeform, Romance, Tragedy, final fantasy x - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-07-23
Updated: 2010-07-24
Packaged: 2017-10-10 18:27:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/102747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laerkstrein/pseuds/Laerkstrein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of drabbles and short pieces written for the mage and the swordsman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rest

The sun peered over the hills of the grassy Calm Lands, easily awakening the black mage, who had been sleeping peacefully with her head turned toward the East. The pale woman sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Having regained her vision from the night's sleep, she glanced around the group, noting that everyone was still sound asleep inside their bedrolls.

All but a certain red-clad Guardian.

Lulu pushed herself to her knees, trying to get a better view over the tall grass. A small thought told her to turn around. She did so, and spotted Auron sitting on a rock, his back facing the group. The sorceress smiled lightly as she crept to her feet, trying not to awaken the others. She tread lightly through the tall, green grass, eager to try her luck with the hero on this fine morning. As she drew closer, she noticed his slow, steady breathing.

A tell-tale sign that the man was asleep.

Fortunately, he hadn't drifted off unprepared. The large blade he carried about had been shoved firmly into the ground, providing him with something to lean on. She laughed quietly, finding it rather amusing that he had fallen asleep while keeping watch late into the night. The mage crept closer, taking care not to step on any twigs and the like. Once close enough to touch him, she leaned forward, planting a gentle kiss on his temple.

It seemed that even legends needed their rest.


	2. Helpless

The ground beneath her feet shakes as the mystic creatures of the Fayth erupt with mighty roars and gnashed teeth. Yuna is alone on the battlefield, armed only with her staff and the Aeon she has summoned. There is nothing the mage can do to help her now. This battle, a battle in which their lives hang in the balance, is too much for the young Summoner, she fears. Her eyes shut as Yuna is struck by the Aeon of the opposing Summoner, Isaaru.

She opens her eyes, studying the unwilling opponent, trying to discern his motives. But there is no lie within his eyes. Only pain and remorse. It is as he said. He does not want to fight the daughter of Lord Braska. If anything, he wants to save her, aid in her escape from the troublesome maze that is the Via Purifico. But the pained gleam in his eyes tells the mage that he will not go against the orders of a Maester. The orders of Yevon.

Lulu turns her head away, pained to know that the Yevon she had so willingly served has betrayed her. But it is not just the beautiful young sorceress who suffers. But her comrades as well. And, as is custom, all Spira will inevitably suffer from the truth, forever ravaged by the monstrosity known as Sin. And she will be helpless to stop the cycle. Far more helpless than she is now.

A loud roar reaches her ears. Yuna's Aeon of Bevelle, the mighty Bahamut, has fallen. The beast writhes in pain as pyreflies erupt from it's massive bulk, returning it to the realm from whence it came. But with each passing moment, each blow exchanged between the Aeons, the mage sees Yuna's eyes harden with resolve. She will not give up. She will fight to the death to defend her homeland and those she loves more than life itself.

The ground shakes yet again as Yuna summons. The mage looses her balance, and the unforgiving ground grows ever closer with each passing second. She awaits the impact of her helpless body against the cold ground. But it never comes. She looks up, shocked and relieved to see that Auron has her in his arms, lifting her to her feet. The mage smiles lightly to herself. This would be the perfect place, she decides.

But she cannot bring herself to cave in to her emotions. Not in front of Yuna. Instead, the mage settles for leaning against his strong frame, her head resting against his shoulder. She closes her eyes as a wave of frost flies from the fingertips of Yuna's newly summoned Aeon. Perhaps, with him around, feeling utterly weak and helpless is not quite as bad as it often seems.


	3. Fire

"What the heck is this place?" Tidus said as the party walked off the airship into a dark, dimly lit cavern. "It's.. kinda creepy."

The mage smiled slightly. She found it cute that, for once, Tidus had dropped the "cocky blitzballer" act. "The Omega Ruins," she said. "A monk by the name of Omega died here seven hundred years ago. He defied the teachings of Yevon, and was sentenced to die here."

Tidus' blue eyes widened. The boy looked to be genuinely afraid. "So... he's here?"

Wakka nodded, his bright orange hair bobbing slightly. "They say that Omega liked dark places like this, ya? Underground and away from the light."

"And Omega's loathing of Yevon eventually turned him into a fiend," Yuna added, placing a hand on Tidus' shoulder. "I believe he is here. Somewhere."

The blond blitzballer swallowed. "Really?"

Lulu turned when Auron laughed. "Scared?" he said, taunting the boy.

"N-Not a chance!" Tidus shot back, balling his hands into fists. "I'm not afraid of anything, old man!"

The mage laughed lightly, her painted lips curling into a smile. It was a rare sight indeed to see Tidus in such a state. Especially after all the tough talk he'd dished out to various enemies and fiends along their journey. She watched in silence as the teen led the way into the darkened cavern, his Brotherhood sword clenched tightly in his gloved hand. The light sound of leather squeaking against the hilt echoed faintly through the cavern.

Wakka followed Tidus, chest puffed out as if he were a Crusader. Though the mage knew that Wakka would be greatly displeased to hear her say such a thing about him. Yuna and Rikku followed them, Kimahri, spear in hand, on their heels, scanning the area for fiends. And that left Lulu to bring up the rear with Auron. He sighed and sat down against one of the rock formations, clearly not too excited about Tidus' bright idea to make a pit stop before heading out to battle Sin.

"He's going to get us all killed," he muttered quietly, the blue flames of the torches reflecting off his dark glasses. "And I, for one, am not putting my life in the hands of a cocky teenager."

Lulu laughed lightly. His life, huh? She found it amusing that he'd use such a term. Rather, his afterlife. It seemed that Auron didn't realize just how much the mage had figured out since their meeting back in Luca. She smiled, kneeling beside him. Perhaps it was foolish for her to allow the others to go ahead, but she had confidence in the Ronso Guardian and his abilities. Truly, he would put an end to anything and anyone who tried to harm Yuna.

And that was comforting.

The mage sighed, watching the blue flames dance. She stretched forth her hand, a spurt of flame appearing in her palm. Her eyes danced with the bright flames, small sparks causing her eyes to dart every which way. She loved fire. Loved the way it danced about, destroying all that it touched. Lulu smiled, thinking back on her training. She had easily mastered the elements of ice and water. But lightning and fire had been a very different story.

Lulu laughed quietly, remembering the very first time she had tried to wield lightning. She and Wakka had taken Yuna to the beaches of Besaid, where the young mage had attempted to show her companions her skill with the elements. Unfortunately, she had drastically overestimated herself, and had ended up firing a bolt in the wrong direction. A bolt that had zapped Wakka in the behind.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Auron managed to shift the flame from her hand to his own, fascination brimming in his eye.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she said, allowing her hand to dip into his collar. Her lithe fingers slid gently across his jaw, trying to obtain a reaction of some sort. "It's... unpredictable."

The Guardian remained silent, breaking his concentration only when Lulu dropped a ball of water over the flame, extinguishing it from existence. Auron grunted, clearly annoyed at being denied the small pleasure. He closed his eye, resting the back of his head against the rock. Lulu frowned, realizing he was now ignoring her.

She withdrew her hand from the collar, turning her attention to removing it completely. The buttons relinquished their hold upon his breastplate with a faint click, and the mage swiftly yanked the collar away before he could protest. The mage quickly tossed the object aside, she leaned her head against his shoulder, ignoring his growling.

"How is it that you're so warm... when you are no longer among the living?"

As expected, her question earned her a reaction. Auron abruptly turned to stare at her. "You know," he said quietly.

She nodded, painted lips brushing against his jaw. "It wasn't terribly hard to fit everything together. Maester Seymour's comments and your behavior during our visit to the Farplane sealed my suspicions." Lulu gently plucked the glasses from his face, her tongue gently tracing the scar before moving towards his mouth. Slowly, she pushed her tongue between his lips, pulling back every few seconds. She wanted him to come to her.

Before she could blink, Auron was on top of her, pressing her body into the hard ground as their mouths connected. She felt herself shiver as his hand made its way around her waist, lifting her above the ground. As the kiss deepened, she allowed her body to fall limp, surrendering herself to his strong arms that held her up by the waist. A grip that, if desired, could easily bend and twist her spine in an instant. But safety was not the mage's concern. It was fulfillment, satisfaction, lust. She felt him lower her to the ground without breaking contact with her lips. Lulu smiled against the kiss, wrapping her arms and legs around his strong body. Her fingers ran through the flecks of silver in his hair, pulling him closer with every heated breath.

A low growl rumbled in his chest, sending shivers down her spine. She pulled away, letting her head fall back to expose the soft, fragile skin of her pale throat. But the low, guttural growl that came from his throat told her that he had no interest in anything aside from her mouth. He allowed her to slip out of his hands as he leaned forward, forcing himself into her mouth once again. She moaned lightly into his mouth as he rested his body over hers, wishing that she could have far more than just the taste of his mouth on hers.

"Lulu? Sir Auron?"

The mage sighed as Yuna's light footsteps drew closer. Auron quickly retreated, returning to his position against the rock face. Lulu followed suite, spouting another ball of flame in her hand. As the young Summoner rounded the corner, she saw nothing unusual. Just two of her Guardians quietly observing the elements.

She smiled, oblivious as to what had occurred before her arrival. "Um... Sir Auron?"

"Hmm?" Auron turned his head, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

The young Summoner blushed bright red, clearly embarrassed about something. "Tidus got himself stuck in a hole, and Kimahri can't seem to get him out."

Lulu fought back a laugh as Auron groaned, lifting his massive blade over his shoulder. "Stupid boy," he muttered as he heard Tidus' desperate shouts of "Someone get me the hell outta here!" The man turned, pulling the mage to her feet in silence before stalking off after Yuna.


	4. Hope

The sun began to set behind the ruins of the great machina city of Zanarkand, the sky lighting up light the brilliant blaze of fire that the party had gathered around. Spira's newest denizen, the boy named Tidus who had washed up on the beaches of Besaid Island several weeks earlier, chattered on about all the marvelous adventures he'd been on since his arrival in the land of Spira. He had covered everything from his first meeting with Wakka and the Besaid Aurochs straight down to the crashing of Yuna's forced marriage to the cruel, Unsent Maester Seymour Guado.

"Remember the look on Seymour's face when Rikku threw the flash bomb?" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet to imitate the Maester. "He was just freaking out!"

He laughed loudly, while Wakka and Rikku joined in, only halfheartedly. Tidus started to remind the group about the hell they'd been forced to endure within the Via Purifico in the dungeons of Spira's capital, Bevelle, when Yuna looked up at him sadly.

Her varicolored eyes pleaded with him to stop, but he didn't notice. She stood, glancing at the faces of her friends. All of them, aside from the quiet Kimahri Ronso and stoic Auron, looked rather sad. For ty knew that their Summoner's journey would end in a few hours. Yuna would summon the Final Aeon and fight Sin. And then, she would die at the hands of the Aeon itself. Yuna placed a hand on Tidus' shoulder, causing him to stop mid-sentence.

"I think we should stop for a while," she said. "Maybe. Just for a little bit."

Tidus nodded, his joyous expression fading at the sight of pain in his lover's eyes. "Okay," he whispered, taking a seat.

Wakka sighed loudly and stood up to stretch. "Well," he said with a yawn, "I'm beat, ya? Goin' to bed." The former captain of the Besaid Aurochs reached into his travel pack, yanking out his bedroll and setting it up several feet away from the blazing fire. "Night!"

Rikku followed suit, as did Tidus and Yuna, who set up their bedrolls close to each other. The teenagers crawled into their beds and quickly fell asleep, just as the final flickers of warm sunlight vanished in the horizon. Kimahri Ronso trudged over to where Yuna lay, crouching down beside her to watch over her quiet form. Leaving only Auron and the black mage, Lulu, by the fire.

Lulu sighed, staring up at the stars as they popped out one by one. Soon, the sky was a big blanket of deep blue, covered with the shimmering specks that were the stars. Her eyes mapped out the constellations that she knew by heart, wishing silently that Yuna would return to Besaid. But Lulu knew better. Yuna had made up her mind. And nothing she said would sway the young Summoner. Not when they were this close.

So close to the Calm. To the end of Yuna's young life.

"She will fight Sin, and she will die," Lulu said aloud, failing to register that Auron was still there. "And that will be the end of it. She has made her decision. I cannot stop her now."

Lulu turned her head as Auron snorted. "You never had a chance of stopping her," he said, staring blankly into the fire.

Behind that facade of his, Lulu knew that the man was hiding something. A great many things, in fact. Things that most people didn't know a thing about. She watched the way the firelight glinted off his dark glasses, his eye never moving away from the blaze.

"She won't die," he said suddenly.

The mage furrowed her brow, confused at his words. Of course Yuna would die. She would go to meet Lady Yunalesca in the morning, obtain the Final Aeon, fight and defeat Sin, and then die. And that would be the end. But she couldn't help but find truth in his words, strange as they were. Lulu watched the man closely, half-expecting him to tell her it was a joke. But, when she thought about it seriously, she knew that such a thing would never happen. Sir Auron wasn't one to say things he didn't mean.

Aside from teasing Yuna back at the Djose Temple, of course. But that had been a one-time affair.

"Every other Summoner who has fought against Sin has perished. You know that. Even Lord Braska fell victim to the Final Summoning."

At her words, Auron shifted slightly, his eye meeting hers in that piercing glare. "Perhaps," he said darkly. Clearly, he hadn't like the mage's comment about his former Summoner and friend. "But Yuna will live."

"How do you know this?"

"Sin is Jecht," he replied. "That boy," he nodded towards Tidus' sleeping form, "is the key to ending Sin's rebirth. He and Yuna both. Although widely unknown, they are the hope of Spira and the end of the cycle."

Lulu frowned slightly. He had not answered her question, but she understood that the man knew something that she and the others did not. Somehow, he firmly believed that Tidus and Yuna would bring an end to Spira's suffering.

She turned her gaze back to the stars. _They are our only hope._


	5. Farewells

The black mage turned silently away as Yuna danced, sending the Aeons and the Fayth to the Farplane for their long-deserved rest. One by one, the mythical creatures began falling to pieces as the pyreflies that made them whole began to vanish, flying far into the distance. Lulu glanced to the heavens, watching as the Aeon of Macalania, Shiva, gave the young Summoner Yuna a smile of thanks. In Lulu's mind, Shiva had always been the most graceful of the Aeons. More so than even the beautiful Valefor or the courageous Ixion.

Her thoughts crumbled to pieces as Yuna's dance ceased. The young Summoner had a gentle hand pressed to her mouth in mute horror, her varicolored eyes wide with sorrow. The mage followed the gaze of her Summoner, her own eyes coming to rest upon the Hero himself, Sir Auron. The man stood silently as pyreflies began to vanish from around him. Lulu had been correct: Auron was indeed an Unsent.

"No," Yuna gasped, taking a step towards him.

The rest of the group stared in turn, gasping at the sight. But Auron was unaffected by their sorrowful expressions. As always, he faced his obstacles head-on, never turning from his duties as a Guardian. But now, as she watched him slowly vanish before her eyes, Lulu felt her spirits sink. Although she had known of his secret from the time of their visit to Guadosalam, there had always been a small part of her that wanted the truth to be a lie.

But here, on the platform within the core of the beast known as Sin, the truth was staring her right in the face.

"Don't stop," he said quietly.

The mage closed her eyes and slightly bowed her head in silence. He had wandered for ten years, living within the Dream of the Fayth in order to preserve the final hope of Spira: the boy called Tidus.

Yuna shook her head, clutching her staff tightly in her hands. "I can't..." she whispered.

Lulu watched the young Summoner's face. The usual, joyful expression that the girl had worn throughout her journey had now faded. Sorrow had finally set in. And Lulu's heart broke for the child she had loved as a sister. To see her in such pain was unbearable.

The Hero lifted his massive sword over his shoulder as he stepped forward onto the edge of the platform. "It's been long enough..."

The mage watched as his gaze shifted around the group, coming to rest upon Tidus. To Lulu's surprise, the boy appeared to be genuinely remorseful. A trait that she had only seen from him a handful of times.

As the pyreflies began to vanish, taking his body with them, he spoke, leaving them with his final words: "This is your world now."

In a brilliant display, the man vanished, leaving the platform before the group empty. Tidus sank to his knees, and Yuna grasped his hand. Lulu turned away from the couple, heading towards the back of the group, hands folded within her sleeves.

She had never really been one for farewells.


End file.
